New Zealand's provincial domestic tournament, the ITM Cup, is underway with a few games already played, and more to come tomorrow. Today we're having a look at an ugly incident you may not have seen a few months back, during the Super Rugby break.

While the All Black squad was tied up in a series with Ireland, and Super Rugby took a break of a few weeks, a match was arranged to work as a fundraiser for the cash-strapped Otago Rugby Union, featuring a North Island side against a South Island side.

The last time a match of this nature took place was in 1995, also in Dunedin, but on this occasion the support for the game wasn't quite as positive, particularly with it's reasoning. Whatever the case, it was an enjoyable game of rugby that 7427 fans watched live at the Forsyth Barr Stadium.

The South team won 32-24 but unfortunately the game was marred by a scrap shortly before halftime, after Brendon Leonard dumped Jason Rutledge to the floor with a bit of a tip tackle.

Dane Coles and Kendrick Lynn sparked off, and several players were involed in the fracas, including Blues lock Filo Paulo, who punched a Tom Donnelly on the floor.

Four players were later cited, including Leonard for his tackle, and Coles for his involvement in it. Coles was also cited for striking, while Lynn and Paulo were cited for retaliating.

Paulo was suspended for the remainder of his Super Rugby season with the Blues, a five week ban. The other three players were cleared, while Leonard was cautioned about his tackling technique.

Paulo reportedly apologised to Donnelly after the match, lowering the original sanction (8 weeks).

His dickhead team-mate in 2 (Coles?) made the tackle a bit dangerous by pulling white 2's head downwards. A twattish move which deserved a bit of a shove from white 13 in my opinion. Black 2's upped the ante by throwing punches where none were needed. White 5 right to take him out and then fuck me what a coward that Paulo bloke is - who punches a bloke in the face while he's lying on the ground?

The physical side of the sport is definitely attractive, but I am under the impression that this is not a good advert for our sport. Up until the moment white 5 lands on the floor, everything is more or less ok. But then black 5 dives in and punches someone that is lying in the floor...?
Imho they should have banned him longer.

Definitely with the majority (so far) on this one... Tackle was brilliant by a 9 (on a 2), the second black player making the "upper body" tackle was in there very quickly looking like he was after the ball, but then he definitely pulled Leonard down hard.

White 13 shove? Was it a shove or a rucking technique which leaves a lot to be desired? Either way no big deal, Coles throwing a few punches was weak but who cares.

White 5 Donnelly was right to just come in and flatten the situation (restrained with his weight), actually probably protected Coles from any further infringements and punches. The Paulo, what a cheap shot. Nasty and weak...

I'm actually glad to see white 5 get a punch in the face on account of his own thuggery. It's absolutely out of order to sprint up to 2 men in disagreement and attack an unsuspecting player in such a violent and dangerous manner, as white 5 did. It's no wonder black 5 gave him a taste on the ground... he had it coming! If he wants to run around attacking peoples necks, potentially risking career ending, no, life ending injury, he has no right to complain at being punched in the face, a far less dangerous and more reasoned action by any objective measure.

I can't get my head around how people can think it's acceptable for a behemoth of a man to blindside somebody with a ferocious clothesline to the neck. White 5 is lucky he didn't break the guys jaw. If he made such a challenge in actual play he'd be banned for a matter of weeks, there's no question. He, unquestionably, had it coming. When you dog shot someone like a common street thug, as Donnelly did, then you open yourself up for similar treatment... AND you have no right to complain when it comes.

It doesn't surprise me that players like Paulo are taking the law into their own hands, dishing out their own form of punishment, because the lack of suspension for Donnelly just highlights that the judiciary and refs are incapable of policing foul play and violent assault.

Seems the unusual Eurocentric nonsense that plagues rugby is clouding peoples judgements. Flying clothesline to the neck/head = amicable, punching on the floor a person who flying clotheslines your team mate = out of line.

You couldn't script it. It's the sort of thing you'd expect from a Brass Eye episode.

Seriously? You want to make it about race? White 5 came in and essentially bear hugged the guy to stop the fight continuing. He clearly did not clothesline him, and there was absolutely no way he was going to break the guy's jaw. Are we even watching the same video?

It just shows that Rugby is more and more a thug sport with flawed prerogatives and out dated values. In Rugby League Donnelly would have been marched and rightly so! This "one in all in" crap needs to go, it's not 1922, have a bit of self restraint and don't dive into a fair one and attack a player.

Jumping into a fight and making it a two on one is one of the most cowardly and thuggish things that you can do. But again, you blokes seem to have backwards values and for some obscure reason that's seen as acceptable behaviour.

I don't reject Rugby, I reject the nonsensical, backwards doctrine parroted by most Rugby fans. Your assumption that I don't play and therefore don't belong on this website are evidence to that.

You cannot hold individual opinions in Rugby. You must repeat the establishment-line to be accepted into what is a rather peculiar cult of self-congratulatory nonsense.

If you feel that intervening in a fair fight and clothes-lining someone is a scummy act then you musn't be a rugby fan, and you should just go somewhere else. There is a concise culture of irrational conformity, whereby individual opinions and objective argument make you victim for ridicule.

I love Rugby, I just can't abide by the people in control of the game and the dogmatic rubbish that "members" of the game conform to.

"Rugby people" grate on me in ways I didn't know were possible. I love Rugby, but my every interaction with "Rugby people" turns me away from what is an otherwise great and entertaining sport.

I understand more and more why in every country but New Zealand, Rugby is seen as a sport for out-of-touch, bigoted wankers.

If not for the fact Rugby attitudes are so blood stupid there would be no doubt in my mind it(Rugby) could challenge soccer for popularity. The problem is the people who represent Rugby, people like you, make normal citizens of the world gag - and thus Rugby will forever be hindered by its own community of self-righteous garbage.

I'm done with this website now, it's proven impossible to penetrate the wall of indoctrination. But I really want you to think about it and comprehend that Rugby is criminally under viewed and participated in because ordinary, intelligent, working class people do not want to associate with the plutocratic values that you represent. Please understand that you are the reason Rugby is only played and watched by the upper middle class - ruling classes.

"But I really want you to think about it and comprehend that Rugby is criminally under viewed and participated in because ordinary, intelligent, working class people do not want to associate with the plutocratic values that you represent. Please understand that you are the reason Rugby is only played and watched by the upper middle class - ruling classes."

@Uncensored... After reading your numerous defensive comments on this page alone, I do see where you're coming from. You say a fair fight was occurring and the second row interfered...I might agree with you if it was:

a) An actual fair fight.... generally I don't consider a hooker v a scrum half fair... in fact 90% of the time unless its a scrum half v a scrum half it will never be fair!

b) NHL/Ice hockey etc where fighting is a part of the game....This is rugby, fighting occurs, fighting is looked on with hungry eyes, but it is NOT part of the game, therefore the second rows attempts to reduce the damage that hooker does were perhaps over the top, but effective.

You call Donnelly a thug for attacking a players neck...then who is Paulo? or better yet, WHAT is Paulo? He punched an unsuspecting player on the floor who had no way of defending himself....

You also mention soccer perhaps being a worthy rival to rugby with regards to rating.... Have you seen those morons that follow soccer? Can they enter a different country without causing a riot? Can they stop stabbing or assaulting fans from a different team? I think I like rugby just the way it is....actually I liked it a whole lot more before people like you screamed how nasty and promoting of thuggery, sticking your studs on someones back when they're on the wrong side of the ruck...

As for conformity, wouldn't conforming to something be going against your own grain to fit in? I don't think I have gone against my own values or my own opinions to be a rugby fan/player, I think I fit in quite well without having to change a bit.... What about you? Find you don't fit in? Maybe you don't like these "out-of-touch, bigoted wankers," and they probably don't like you either... (food for thought).

No one says you have to be nasty, but preaching "peace to all man" in a rugby match is never going to go down well....if you don't like it either don't play or turn your back on the scuffle like many players do.

alright uncensored you simple simple human...hows this for a deal...i will stand there and let someone you me a "life threatening clothes line to the jaw"...../awkward bear hug take down to stop the two fighting
And in return you have to lie on the ground while i punch you in the face?

But I'm not a thug scumbag. I'm a clean and fair player. I wouldn't enter a fair fight and attack an unsuspecting opposition player with an arm to the throat/face, and as such your hypothetical makes no sense.

@Uncensored .......bigot, STOP stereotyping people who play and/or watch rugby you don't know every person into the sport......and stop making yourself out to be better than others, you sound like the person you described to hate. If you are this great fair working class person, then judge others fairly regardless of their class. Take that chip off your shoulder...

....Anyway black no.2 makes the tackle look worse than it was, and then gets pissed at the shove from white no.13 causing a bit of brawl. The initial tackle was ok I thought, but maybe some harsher refereeing about the brawl could should have happened, but meh.